People who start drinking before the age of 14 are more likely to become alcoholics than those who abstain from alcohol until they're 21 and are more likely to become dependent on alcohol faster, according to a study in the July Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers analyzed the results of a 2001–2002 survey of more than 43,000 adults conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. They found that the younger the age at which people started to drink, the greater their likelihood of developing alcohol dependence within 10 years of drinking onset and before age 25 years.

Among persons who began drinking before 14 years of age, 27% experienced an episode of alcohol dependence within 10 years of drinking onset, compared to 4% of those who began drinking at 21 years of age or older.  More than a third (33%) of those who began drinking before age 14 met the criteria for alcohol dependence by the time they were 25 years old, compared to only 2% of those who waited until they were 21 years or older to drink. In addition, early-onset drinkers were more likely to experience multiple alcohol dependence episodes during their lifetimes than those who began drinking later.

Other research has shown a link between early drinking onset and behaviors that pose a risk to the drinker and others, including unintentional injuries, car crashes, fights, nicotine addiction, and unplanned and unprotected sex.  

The findings highlight the dangers of early alcohol use, and the researchers suggest that efforts to help prevent drinking among teens, such as increasing alcohol screening among adolescents and conducting brief motivational counseling interventions, could help deter early drinking and early dependence on alcohol.